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Itinerary for May 5 — May 10, 2013

Description: This Art Deco masterpiece opened in 1930. All of New York is at your doorstep, across from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, Macy's and the Empire State Building are just down the street with the Theater District a few minutes walk. The hotel features business and fitness centers.

Afternoon: Hotel check-in available after 3:30pm.
4:00pm: After checking in at the hotel front desk, come to the designated meeting room (it will be posted) to register with your Program Coordinator and pick up your arrival packet. Programs are planned far in advance, so local circumstances may require changes from time to time. We will notify you as quickly as possible should there be any changes and appreciate your understanding.

Dinner: 5:00 pm Enjoy your first meal at the colorful Tick Tock Diner, located just off the hotel lobby. This 24-hour diner features classic American cooking. White and black checkered floors and shiny chrome columns enhance the all-American ambience. Dinner in the diner is available and included even if you arrive late. Our meal is scheduled for 5:00pm so that we can get through orientation and have some time to explore on your own. If your arrival is delayed, please attend orientation and then eat afterwards.

Evening: After orientation we will walk over to the Empire State Building. From the 86th floor observation deck you get a birds eye view of the Manhattan street grid and all five boroughs and New Jersey in the distance. It's a great way to orient yourself to New York's geography.

Description: This Art Deco masterpiece opened in 1930. All of New York is at your doorstep, across from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, Macy's and the Empire State Building are just down the street with the Theater District a few minutes walk. The hotel features business and fitness centers.

Day Two: Monday, May 06 - Learn about the history of New York and visit Roc...

Learn about the history of New York and visit Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall and St. Patrick's Cathedral

Breakfast: The first morning, a Continental Breakfast is served in the Meeting Room, featuring New York City bagels with a schmeer, muffins, fruit, and eggs. During breakfast, register with the MTA for a senior citizen MetroCard if you are 65 or over. A representative from the MTA will take your picture and a copy of your driver's license to process your permanent MetroCard application. They will give you a temporary card to use for the week, enabling you to ride for half price. After you return home, in a few weeks you will receive a permanent card in the mail. That is your official invitation to come back to New York and ride around half price.

Morning: Our esteemed architectural historian will present the history and architecture of New York City and give you a tour of all five boroughs from the comfort of your seat

Lunch: Deli sandwiches are provided for lunch in the meeting room before heading out on our field trip.

Afternoon: Our guided visit through Radio City Music Hall, a masterpiece of Art Deco decoration, takes you behind the scenes of its fantastic musical productions. Even the restrooms are impressively decorated. Marvel at the art, architecture and engineering. See the hydraulic lifts from the early 20th century that still move the many stages.
After your visit, stroll Rockefeller Center with our guide and watch the skaters at the foot of the sculpture of Prometheus. Before returning to the hotel we will stop in St. Patrick's Cathedral. Completed in 1879 the cathedral is a symbol of the success in New York of its immigrant Irish Catholic population.

Dinner: Dine in a Chinese restaurant and enjoy a family-style meal including your choice of soup, three appetizers and five entrees.

Evening: Learn about the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in a presentation by the author of "The Ellis Island Immigrant Cookbook: The Story of Our Past Told Through the Recipes and Reminiscences of our Immigrant Ancestors." Tom Bernardin is an avid collector of the Statue of Liberty memorabilia and worked on Ellis Island for the National Park Service.

Description: This Art Deco masterpiece opened in 1930. All of New York is at your doorstep, across from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, Macy's and the Empire State Building are just down the street with the Theater District a few minutes walk. The hotel features business and fitness centers.

Day Three: Tuesday, May 07 - The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are closed...

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are closed due to damage sustained by Hurricane Sandy. We will take a Harbor Cruise and visit The Lower East Side Tenement Museum.

Breakfast: This morning we will start with a hot "American" breakfast in the Tick Tock Diner. You can choose eggs with all of the sides, waffles or pancakes, or if you prefer a healthier fare, fresh fruit and yogurt is available.

Morning: We head straight out this morning to take a harbor cruise with Liberty and Ellis islands as the focus.

Lunch: Enjoy lunch on your own on the lower east side with selections that include delicacies from many of the immigrants' native lands.

Afternoon: Visit the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Take in the type of housing experienced by millions of immigrants who came through Ellis Island, many of which settled on the Lower East Side. The interactive museum lets you walk in their footsteps.

Dinner: We dine at "Uncle Nick's," a fun and festive dining room for a taste of traditional Greek cuisine. Start with a huge Greek country salad with feta and dolmades before kabob and gyro platters are passed, accompanied by pita and tzatziki. Be sure to save room for the baklava and galaktoboureko.

Evening: After dinner, we head over to what may be New York's most acclaimed new park. Written about in Smithsonian, National Geographic and AARP Magazines, the High Line is a favorite destination for locals and visitors alike. We will stroll above the traffic below, through the gallery district of Chelsea and into the trendy Meat Packing District with an expert guide leading the way.

Description: This Art Deco masterpiece opened in 1930. All of New York is at your doorstep, across from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, Macy's and the Empire State Building are just down the street with the Theater District a few minutes walk. The hotel features business and fitness centers.

Day Four: Wednesday, May 08 - Presentations to get you moving in the right dire...

Presentations to get you moving in the right direction for your free afternoon and evening.

Breakfast: We will serve our expanded Continental Breakfast in Meeting Room so that you can take full advantage of our expert staff while making plans for your free time later in the day.

Morning: A presentation will spark your interest in exploring the known or little known areas of New York during your free afternoon is followed by a guided walk through the Theater District and Times Square.

Lunch: Enjoy a picnic lunch in Bryant Park, just like a native before heading out on your own. Or...

Afternoon: Free Afternoon and Evening to Explore New York on your own. Or, follow our guide up to Harlem. The number two destination for foreign tourists, Harlem's history and 19th century architecture will amaze you.

Description: This Art Deco masterpiece opened in 1930. All of New York is at your doorstep, across from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, Macy's and the Empire State Building are just down the street with the Theater District a few minutes walk. The hotel features business and fitness centers.

Morning: Learn about the Metropolitan Museum of Art and obtain tips on navigating its galleries before heading up to the museum.
On the way, you will traverse Central Park and your expert guide will elaborate on its history and point out areas of interest.

Lunch: Lunch on your own in any of the museums' eating venues. From the extensive selections in the cafeteria to the elegant "Petrie Court Cafe" you can't go wrong with whatever eatery you choose.

Afternoon: Continue to explore the extensive holdings of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, arguably the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere. A variety of docent led tours will guide you through the collections of your choosing.

Dinner: We like to have our farewell dinner in Cooper's Tavern. This cocktail lounge and bistro in our "historic New Yorker hotel offers a sleek respite for bar bites and stiff cocktails." states New York Magazine. "Wood-paneled walls, geometric lights, and a spacious lounge lay the setting for eclectic eats from executive chef Julian Clauss-Ehlers."

Evening: After dinner, your expert guide will take you to his/her favorite neighborhood for a guided walk. Greenwich Village is frequently the destination with its charming, narrow, wandering streets. It's a relief to be out of the grid and rub elbows with aspiring writers, artists and misfits, hoping to glean the creative juices in the air.

Day Six: Friday, May 10 - Discussion about New York from a literary point o...

Discussion about New York from a literary point of view/lunch/check-out

Breakfast: Continental Breakfast in Meeting Room

Morning: "New York City, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" is the topic for discussion as our lecturer takes you on a tour of New York City from a literary point of view. A lively dialogue often ensues as participants recount the areas of discovery that delighted them during their week here.

Lunch: We end our program with a "sweet surprise." And it wouldn't be a surprise if we told you here, but it's something no one should leave New York without tasting.
Lunch is delivered to the Meeting Room by 10:30 to enjoy at your leisure or put in a bag (provided) and take with you, on the run.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Free Time Opportunities

Important information about your itinerary: Please know that while we do everything we can to finalize all aspects of our programs well in advance, there are logistics that occasionally must be altered. Our website will reflect the most recent information, and we are committed to providing you with final program details no later than eight weeks prior to the start of programs outside the U.S. and three weeks prior to the start of programs within the U.S. If you ever have questions about your program, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to assist you.

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The latest in light, portable, easy-to-use QUIETVOX listening devices are available on Road Scholar programs.* Whether you are outdoors, in a crowd or in a museum environment where speaking loudly is discouraged, a listening device makes it feel like our experts are speaking clearly and directly to you. Hear for yourself on a Road Scholar adventure!

*Please note that due to the nature of some programs, the remote location or government regulations, listening devices may not be available. If you’d like to know for sure if your program will offer listening devices, just call and ask an Advisor!